Category Archives: Social Networking Etiquette

Jul 16

Let me first start by saying, there is nothing wrong with being a network marketer. I don’t want the massive network marketing community to reign down upon us. Ok, – all clear here? Now, let us proceed!

Network marketing or MLM (multi level marketing) certainly has its perks. I’m not here to argue that, but how you go about engaging, communicating with and persuading people to support, join or rally for your cause is exactly what we are here to discuss!

Many of us probably have at least a few friends who are actively involved in network marketing, and many of the top companies are household names that you have probably heard of and maybe even used before. Companies like, Avon, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Primerica, Partylite and The Pampered Chef have become well-known organizations that serve an important role in the lives of their marketers, consumers and the overall economy.

The resounding challenge that many people (including me) have faced is the initial engagement of many networking marketers and the often pushy and insensitive manner in which the opportunities are presented. Of course this does not speak for all network marketers, but this topic has been requested to be covered by us on several occasions, so without further delay, let us explore a few recommendations when attempting to engage someone in a networking marketing opportunity:

Be Up Front – There have been instances where network marketing opportunities have been disguised as an invitation to a party, a bbq or a private dinner. Now, imagine being invited to a nice, exclusive dinner party and you get there with your dinner party appropriate cute outfit and you sit down, and someone is passing out pocket folders and cueing up a PowerPoint presentation. There are only two words for this scenario – Not Cool!

Be Respectful About the Follow Up – So, perhaps you get pitched an awesome opportunity that you are truly considering, but you get asked about 20 times in a 24- hour period if you have made a decision. I don’t know about you, but there are quite a few decisions, obligations and commitments that I am required to fulfill within a 24-hour period, and most of them are things that I have been thinking about, working on or setting up for quite some time. Let us keep in mind that while the opportunity may indeed be a good one, give the person an opportunity to truly think through what you are laying down.

Avoid Being A Dream Crusher – Take a moment and think about your ultimate dream job. Whatever it is – you have like been thinking about and/or pursuing it for a long time, maybe even since you were a child. So, for a new opportunity to come in and completely annihilate something that I have been pursuing or daydreaming about for forever is highly unlikely. Is it possible, yes… but very highly unlikely. The bottom line here is, avoid making people feel like if they do not take your opportunity RIGHT NOW, their lives will be ruined and crushed. Statements like, “you’d be crazy to not jump on this” or “if I were you, I’d prioritize this over everything else”, or even, “how much money would you make doing that, when you can do this for a lot less time and effort”. The truth is, money is not everyone’s main motivation, so that third quote could completely turn someone off.

Scarlet Says…focus on the relationship. No one wants to feel taken advantage of or sold without their basic humanity under consideration. While we highly encourage you to aggressively pursue whatever it is in life that makes you happy, brings you joy or makes you fill the most fulfilled, BUT not at the expense or the blatant disregard of everyone else. If you are pursuing your definition of success, you will likely need people. Be mindful how you treat, engage and expect people to support or follow you, because to get to your dreams, you just might need them more than they need you.

May 16

Just about a week ago, my friend Justin Kimpson extended an invitation to attend the Ford Freedom Award event at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. I was already scheduled to be in town teaching dining etiquette for Deloitte, so the timing could not have been better. Now, we have been friends for quite some time, so there was nothing awkward, weird or out-of-place about going as his “fake date” for the evening; I was actually very much look forward to it.

Since we’re both native Detroiters, went to high school together and still work together in different capacities, we have a ton of mutual friends and colleagues, but since I travel quite a bit and formally live in Washington, DC now, Justin knows way more people than I do. There were several instances where Justin formally introduced me to people who I did not know, which was great. Now, I have no problem with working a crowd, introducing myself and joining in on conversations, but I must say, it is nice to be naturally pulled in and introduced.

I did, however, notice something very interesting that was occurring – lots of people were not introducing their dates, or were doing so as an afterthought. Now, it is understood that perhaps the lack of introductions were intentional for whatever reason, but if you are inviting someone as a date to an event (either in a romantic capacity or as a friend), it is your responsibility to engage them, at least during introductions. It is also wise to give some thought to the type of event that you are going to, and the type of person that your date is. In advance of extending an invitation, ask yourself:

Do I even have a +1 to extend?

What are my obligations at this event and will I have the time to entertain a guest?

What type of event is this and would my date be comfortable?

Have I given my date the heads up about what to expect, including attire expectations and any of my obligations that may leave them standing alone for a while?

Scarlet Says…events can surely be fun, and bringing a guest can take the fun up a notch, but without giving some thought to who you’re bringing, if they will enjoy and be comfortable there, and if you are comfortable enough to introduce them to others, you could be setting yourself up for a bad situation and a lousy night out. So, extend your +1 to events with care!

Let’s face it…we are all trying to find a way to stay within our budgets, exceed goals and advance to what’s next, all with a particular (usually limited) amount of resources, right? So, trying to cut corners and take advantage of discounts, deals or promotions is pretty wise. But, when does this taking advantage approach turn into down right negligence?

It turns into this when you start trying to get over, get on or get the hook up at the expense of your friends and family and their goals. For example, think about your friends who are small business owners. Do they provide a product or service or manage a place that you frequent? Is your first question every single time you stop by their establishment, “can I get a discount on this” or “come on, I know you can do something”?

You absolutely should try to stretch your dollar and make it go as far as it can, but I’m suggesting that you genuinely and whole heartedly support people – especially friends and family – without always peaking through the lens of “what’s in this for me“?

Supporting someone does not always have to come in the form of a monetary exchange. There are surely other ways to show your appreciation and support of someone, including:

Sending someone an article that has content that they would interested in

Calling (actually picking up the phone and dialing numbers – not texting) someone just to say hello

At work, let a colleagues’ superior know they do an outstanding job

Encourage someone to try something you know they want to try, but haven’t yet because they’re scared, and offer to try it with them

Scarlet Says…no one wants to feel like their relationship with someone is solely based on their ability to provide a “hook up”. Take the time – when you are not in need – to show the people around you that you are grateful for them, so when you actually do need something, making the ask will be appropriate and not awkward.

As a treat to our Scarlet supporters and readers, I’d like to pay it forward to you. You now have an opportunity to try out your first Hello Fresh box at a deeply discounted rate. Hello Fresh provides weekly deliveries of farm fresh ingredients and delicious recipes to your doorstep and is a dinner party partner to Scarlet. Visit their website and use the promotional code, Scarlet35, towards your first box. Consider this our way of paying it forward! Happy Eating!

Feb 16

What is it that you really want to do? Where do you want to really spend your time?

Although most of us spend a substantial amount of time working hard – really hard, it’s not where we want to spend all of our time.

Most of us want to spend the majority of our time enjoying friends and family, relaxing, taking vacations or participating in our favorite hobbies, activities and celebrations. Most of us do not want to spend every waking hour working our lives away. But, unfortunately, many of us do. We spend more time in our offices or with our co-workers and colleagues than we do on the things that we value the most.

May 15

Friday: If you could change your workplace by enforcing this one office etiquette practice, what would it be? Share your item on our Facebook wall, by tagging us on Twitter or even tagging us in a photo on Instagram! We look forward to seeing your posts! Don’t forget the hashtag: #scarletetiquetteweek2015

May 15

Guess what week it is! It’s National Etiquette Week and Scarlet will not miss this opportunity to get in on the action! You can look out for fun opportunities to engage with Scarlet all week long.

Monday: Kick off your week with positivity and thanks! Write 3 people a hand written thank you note thanking them for something that they’ve done for you. Believe me – they’ll remember and it’ll get you some major relationship building points. We stopped by Michael’s and they have a fantastic sale on thank you cards!

Tuesday: Share your etiquette pet peeves! The only way we can really live, work and play together is if we’re aware of how to best engage with each other. Share these pet peeves on our Facebook wall, by tagging us on Twitter or even tagging us in a photo on Instagram! We look forward to seeing your posts! Don’t forget the hashtag: #scarletetiquetteweek2015

Wednesday: What’s one etiquette rule that you think should totally go out the door? We embrace modern, real-world etiquette so we’re dying to know your thoughts! Share your items on our Facebook wall, by tagging us on Twitter or even tagging us in a photo on Instagram! We look forward to seeing your posts! Don’t forget the hashtag: #scarletetiquetteweek2015

Thursday: If there were a Scarlet Award – an award for someone who exemplifies what it means to be considerate of others, embrace perspectives and has a great sense of style, let us know. This doesn’t need to be the quintessential standard of what “style” normally is. This could be someone who just has their own flare, style or look. Who do you know? Let us know! Post about them on our Facebook wall, by tagging us and them on Twitter or even uploading a photo of them and tagging us on Instagram! We look forward to seeing your posts! Don’t forget the hashtag: #scarletetiquetteweek2015

Friday: If you could change your workplace by enforcing this one office etiquette practice. What would it be? Share your item on our Facebook wall, by tagging us on Twitter or even tagging us in a photo on Instagram! We look forward to seeing your posts! Don’t forget the hashtag: #scarletetiquetteweek2015

We are super siked about all your upcoming posts this week! If you don’t want to engage online, but you still want to share, simply email us at info@scarletcomm.com.

We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Until Next Time,

Scarlet

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May 15

Now that one of the biggest sports weekends of the year is over, it’s time to rate yourself! How did you do? Were you in compliance? Well, Scarlet has to throw in her draft pick choices! We’re not talking about the player choices… we’ll leave that up to you! Let’s talk about the draft party pick choices. As you prepare to have people over later this year, or even engage in conversation about who you think will go to which team, consider these few things:

Having People Over? : Where will your guests sit? The NFL draft is a lengthy process. Think through where people will sit. Now, this doesn’t have to be a fancy affair where you rent out fancy chivari chairs and such. Some bean bags and folding chairs will likely do.

Engaging In Debate:Debates are fine. I mean, who doesn’t get rowled up about a great player coming to their home team?! But, don’t let your passion for the game result in ruining a friendship or two. Debate…in moderation please.

Food. Drink. BYOB. : If you’re inviting a few folks over, plan to at least have a few snacks for them to nibble on. Don’t feel indebted to laying out a four course meal, but remember that for many, the draft starts during peak dinner time. You might even consider having guests bring a dish or beverage to keep the party going.

Are You An Internet Thug?:Avoid being that human that uses the internet to post, say, share and communicate things that you know you wouldn’t say in real life. Some friendly back and forth banter and maybe even some good old fashioned smack talk is OK, but when you seek to cross the offensive line or make personal jabs about someone, you’ve probably gone too far.

Bring Something:If you are lucky enough to be invited over to an NFL Draft Party, bring something…anything. There are always the safe go to’s for this kind of shin dig like: wine, beer, chips, pretzels, dip, salsa, etc! If you know the host(s) well, do go out on a limb and bring something that you know they’d like. Whatever you do, just don’t go empty handed.

Sep 14

93 is the exact amount of days that we have left until 2015. That beginning number of 365 sure did fly by fast, didn’t it?

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Out of time? Rushed? Unorganized? Anxious?

If you do, take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. For Scarlet, 2014 has been an absolute flash. Things have went great and other things have absolutely went left.

If you’re with the majority of us, feeling like you just need a bit more time to get it all in, I have some bad news…you won’t get it. You are really stuck with only 93 days left this year to conquer your 2014 to-do’s.

Now following that bad news, let me enlighten you with some good news. Instead of ho-humming your way through the next 93 days, how about maximizing what you have to get what you need accomplished?

And as an added bonus, I’ll even tell you how to do it. As you prepare to wrap up the year, utilizing these simple “Scarlet etiquette hacks”, will help you maximize your time, positively invest in your relationships and end the year feeling like you started – hopeful, driven and focused!

1. Start Your Holiday Card Process Now: It seems to never fail. Every year right around December you start getting that horrible feeling in your gut that reminds you that you haven’t even started writing out your season’s greetings or holiday cards for the year. This time, just start now. Why not at least start putting the list together of the people and organizations that you intend to send out cards to? Believe me. Starting now will save you a lot of headaches later.

2. Make Small Daily to do Lists: Do you make lengthy to-do lists knowing that there’s no way that you can tackle 25 tasks in one day? Well, let’s turn a new leaf today! Instead of making unrealistic task lists, try limiting your daily list to five items or less. I’ve found that it is much easier to do 5 tasks impeccably versus trying to do 25 tasks at your less than best capacity and then feeling bad about not completing the list. Give yourself some slack. Put together a reasonable list that you can accomplish and feel good about.

3. Get Off The Holiday Party Merry Go Round: Very soon, the end of year holiday party invites are going to start rolling in. While everybody wants to be invited to fantastic end of year parties, be honest with which ones you should and should not attend. If you know you’re going to find yourself only being able to spend 20 minutes at each party, consider reconsidering. Just face the facts that you are only one person and that it’s best to prioritize which parties you actually should attend and more importantly which ones are value-add to you personally?

4. Revisit Your Goals For 2014: You actually may have accomplished a lot more than you think you have. When is the last time you visited your goals for 2014? While you may be sulking your days away, being hard on yourself and thinking that you’ve accomplished nothing, perhaps you are much further along than you really thought.

5. Take a Social Media Sabbatical: Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your various social networking pages and beginning to feel guilty about yourself, your accomplishments and what you think you should have accomplished by now? This feeling of void and skepticism about your accomplishments happens all the time. It is a direct result of subconsciously or even consciously comparing yourself to people and individuals who are posting on their own social networking pages. Let’s face it, who can really validate if what others post is true? And, think about how much time you actually waste scrolling and running across the same information that you saw the last time you scrolled? Make an honest effort to take breaks from social media and even take a small sabbatical for a little while if you find yourself on there much too much.

Scarlet Says: For the next 93 days, let’s commit to using what we actually have to get what it is that we need. 93 days really is a lot of time to get a lot of stuff done. Even if you have fallen down, fallen off track or life has thrown you some curve balls this year, you can still recoup. You are still here and you still have a seat at the table. So, let’s make the best of what we have left and rock out for the rest of the year. After all, faking it til’ you make it is just a temporary fix and not a long term solution…

Until Next Time,
Scarlet

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May 14

Today kicks off the first of 5 days solely dedicated to etiquette. Scarlet believes that good etiquette should be practiced daily, but this week, we’ll pay specific attention to raising awareness of all people to act with courtesy, civility, kindness, respect and manners as well as rally people to act with good manners in their everyday lives.

This past weekend, I had an experience with a woman named Maria while attending a conference in Massachusetts. This woman was with the catering staff and was setting up the delicious cookies and break related snacks. As I always, do, I smiled, spoke to her and thanked her for her service. Her eyes absolutely lit up in awe and surprise that someone had acknowledged her and thanked her for her work. She replied “my, you are so nice to speak to me and to simply say thank you”.

Her reaction both made me happy and sad. Happy that I had made her day, and sad that her work and appreciation for it , was rarely acknowledged. If something as simple as a thank you, a smile and a small token of gratitude makes someone’s day, will it really hurt us to do it?

As you go about your days moving forward, and especially this week, consider how a small token of gratitude to the people we encounter and rely on, could make a significant difference in their lives.